☀️
← Back to Lexicon
G1456 · Greek · New Testament
ἐγκαίνια
Enkania
Noun, neuter (plural)
Dedication / Feast of Dedication / Hanukkah

Definition

Enkania refers to the Feast of Dedication, known in Hebrew as Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה). It commemorated the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple by Judas Maccabeus in 164 BC after its desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes. John 10:22 uniquely records Jesus in Jerusalem during this feast — the only New Testament reference to Hanukkah.

Usage & Theological Significance

John's placement of Jesus at the Feast of Dedication is profoundly intentional. In this very context, Jesus declares 'I and the Father are one' (John 10:30) — proclaiming Himself as the true temple, the one in whom God truly dwells. The rededication of the physical temple celebrated at Hanukkah finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus, who is both the temple and the one who consecrates (John 2:19-21; Hebrews 9:11-12). The feast's theme of light triumphing over darkness also resonates with Jesus as the Light of the World (John 8:12), declared at the immediately preceding Feast of Tabernacles.

Key Bible Verses

John 10:22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter.
John 10:23 And Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon's Colonnade.
John 10:30 I and the Father are one.
John 2:19 Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.'
Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands.

Related Words

External Resources

🌙
☀️